October
by Banjodog
Summary: Inspired by Ocean. With autumn subtly crumbling beneath their feet, the Millennium Puzzle and the Shadows, both at the peak of their power, have a conversation on what will happen...after the end of everything.


**October**

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! And all related characters therein do not belong to me. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: With autumn subtly crumbling beneath their feet, the Millennium Puzzle and the Shadows, both at the peak of their power, have a conversation about what will happen...after the end of everything.

Author's Note: No matter what, Ocean always manages to do this to me. We were talking one night, and she made a comment...wondering what a conversation between the Shadows and the Millennium Puzzle (both at the peak of their powers) would be like. It got me thinking, and this is what resulted.

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The early morning mist glided across the dirt road, frost barely dusting the gold and flaming leaves. The air was light and chilled, and the silence was broken only by muted footsteps. Tall trees lined the road, dark branches bearing still full crowns of color. It was down this lonely path, beneath the foggy sky, that the Millennium Puzzle walked. It strolled along on bare feet as a blood red cape billowed behind it, and the charms on its bracelet chimed quietly. Draping over the Puzzle's shoulders was an additional short cape, chinese-style clasps trailing down from a mandarin collar to stop halfway and let the cloth ripple as the Puzzle moved. The short cape had a pattern of autumn leaves, its brilliant reds, yellows, oranges and browns a stunning contrast against the tighter, form fitting black robe the Puzzle wore beneath the outer layers. The Puzzle's hair hung down from the weight of the moisture in the air, and its amaranth eyes were dark with philosophy. In its human form, the Puzzle was identical to Yuugi, but in this place, it seemed less the human, and more like the ancient god it truly was.

For hours the Puzzle walked down the endless road, the leaves ripping beneath its feet and the trees whispering in a nonexistant breeze. It was only when the silence became suddenly oppressive did the Puzzle stop—halting but never lifting its gaze. The only acknowledgement was a slight narrowing of the eyes, and a small cluster of leaves whirling across the path.

"What do you want?" the Puzzle asked, its quiet voice laced with steel. A chuckle floated out from the trees...a laugh that was filled with dry and brittle things.

"You speak that way to an old friend?"

"You've never been any friend of mine," the Puzzle answered, finally raising its head to glare through the corners of its eyes.

"An acquaintance, then," came the velvety response, and a figure stepped out of the trees and onto the road.

The Shadows were tall, and very thin, their leather pants riding low on prominent hip bones. With a smirk, the Shadows tucked their hands into their pockets and let the leaves curl around their boots. A dark choker with a dreamcatcher attatched decorated their throat, the feathers tickling at their collarbone and the neckline of a black, sleeveless crop top that had the word 'Anarchy' spelled out in large white letters. The Shadows gave no indication of the cold, however, and continued to stare at the Puzzle.

"You're a fool if you think to challenge me here," the Puzzle warned, the air around the two beings bending under the threat.

"Surely we deserve more credit than you give us."

The corner of the Shadows' lips lifted, but it did not offer any warmth. Their skin was pale...nearly glowing white in the fog, and their face became ethereal under a curtain of dark hair that covered their right eye. The left eye was a mesmerizing swirl of blue and purple, but it was unfocased, speaking of their blindness in any world other than their own. It was simply too bright, and their eyes in the mortal realm always failed them.

"You deserve nothing," the Puzzle scoffed and continued on its way. "Except death."

"We've wondered about that," the Shadows murmured, keeping their unseeing gaze on the spot where the Puzzle had been. The Puzzle stopped, its brow furrowing as it turned to look over its shoulder.

"What you planned to do, after you defeated us. What are your plans should you be victorious? We deserve to know that much."

The Puzzle exhaled slowly, its attention dropping to a pebble near its foot.

"Prison," it said at length. "You will be sealed within your realm, with no doors. No one will ever get in, and you will surely never get out. Forever."

A silence descended on the pair before the Shadows raised their shoulders in a half shrug.

"That seems anti-climatic. We had expected torture. The slow melting of our hard earned sentience..." the Shadows trailed off, their head cocking slightly towards the Puzzle and their one visible, unblinking eye glistening with a layer of mist.

At the Puzzle's silence, the Shadows sighed and walked up to it.

"For you," they said. "A cage. A beautiful, copper cage where you will sleep for eternity. You'll be forgotten...no one save us will know you, and your power. You will feel your power drain away, and it will be us...only us....that will see you. We won't allow any one else to see you. You will be ours."

The Puzzle arched an eyebrow at the note of possessiveness that trembled in the Shadow's voice and eyed them thoughtfully. They were learning, and the Puzzle knew who they were learning from.

"And the Pharaoh?"

"Ours. You and him...ours forever."

"I am pleased to see I hold such high esteem," the Puzzle said, unhable to disguise the drip of sarcasm. "As I am sure the others will provide you with great entertainment."

To the Puzzle's surprise, the Shadows snarled and shoved the Puzzle back, forcing the Item to slam into a tree. The spots where the Shadows had touched burned, but the sensation faded quickly and let the Puzzle regard their companion with astonishment.

"_Them_," the Shadows whispered, disgust curling on their features as though the words left a foul taste in their mouth. "The other Items...you dare compare yourself to _them_? They...nothing but a contamination next to you. Those horrid—"

"You will not speak of them like that! I do not care how you feel, _I_ created them!"

"And they do not deserve you! Only we do...only us..." the Shadows trailed off into a whisper, their fists clenching at their side. "Your cage will be of copper, but the hinges and locks will be their blood...we promise."

The Puzzle fought back a wave of rage that swelled within it, and, taking a deep breath, sought a different strategy. Straightening, it smoothed its robe and let a mask of indifference slide into place.

"I remember your birth," the Puzzle said, letting its words sink in before starting back down the path. The Shadows started, any malice slipping away as they paused before jogging to catch up. They fell quickly into step, and watched the Puzzle with complete fascination.

"You do?"

"Yes. I remember what you were like even before you did."

The Shadows suddenly extended their stride, their steps carrying them ahead of the Puzzle so they could spin around and halt the Item with their hands on its shoulders. The Puzzle could feel the burning through the layers of fabric, and it could see blood start to trickle down the Shadows' wrists as their hands became a mess of red and black. The Shadows did not seem to feel it, though, and they tightened their grip.

"Tell us."

Giving a smirk it knew the Shadows could not see, the Puzzle shrugged their grip off and turned to face a large oak tree.

"You were...pretty," the Puzzle began as it watched the leaves rattle across the dark tree trunk. "You were full of life, and light. Certainly one I would not have minded to be my companion."

Mesmerized, the Shadows reached out, but before their fingers could brush against the back of the Puzzle's neck, the Item moved away and started walking down the road. The Shadows followed, this time keeping behind the Puzzle.

"But that was before. Before those few, corrupted humans decided to change you. They tainted you, confused you. They...let you free."

"We....remember that," the Shadows said, their usually powerful voice becoming quiet and misty. "We remember ...cold. Quiet. Voices that had always been there were gone. We thought for ourselves, and we realized that we _hated_ them."

The ice slowly returned to the Shadow's voice, and their visible eye narrowed.

"They _used_ us, manipulated us... all the same. All humans are the same, and they must be destroyed! Every one of them."

Sensing its opportunity, the Puzzle stopped once more and turned to face the Shadows.

"You hate humans."

"Yes."

"So you must hate yourself as well," the Puzzle said calmly. The Shadows were incredulous.

"_What?_"

"Like I said. I knew you. And I know what you have become. You continuously claim superiority over mortals and yet you are no better than them. You were created out of their scorn and hatred...and you bear their traits yet. You are nothing but arrogance and anger. Everything that they are, that made them evil, you have become! You will never change, and you will never be better than them!"

"No!"

The Shadows moved extremely fast, and before the Puzzle could register the attack, it was pinned beneath the seething embodiment of the most feared magic in the world, and it stared impassively back into unseeing eyes. Pain flared through the Puzzle's limbs, but it refused to show its weakness, and let the Shadows tire of their temper on their own.

"We are not human! It's us, Puzzle. You and _us._ We are brothers, and you forget our age! We are as old as you, older than earth and sky! We are your _only_ companion...those others...those others you prize...we _know_ you!"

The Puzzle gasped as it felt the sudden presence of the Ring, concerned inquiries rising in the back of its mind. It was an odd mix of pain and pleasure, and it writhed under the sensation of clashing Shadow and Millennium magic.

"No!" the Shadows screamed, lifting the Puzzle slightly to slam it back down. "Go away! Ours!"

The Puzzle gritted its teeth as it felt the Ring's power flare, the other Item intent on purging the Shadows' presence from its creator. Gathering a ball of strength, the Puzzle violently pushed the Shadows off of it, not caring to see where they landed and concentrated on calming the panicked Ring. Its shoulders heaved with laboured breath, and it forced the Ring to back down. The Ring tried to send reassuring waves of magic, but the Puzzle shuddered under them, and it dimmed the link to the Ring. It was too much...an overload of feelings that threatened the Puzzle's strength. With shaking limbs, the Puzzle sat up and checked the position of the Shadows. They were several feet away, on their hands and knees with tremors in their limbs. Their hands and underarms were burned a fiery red, and blisters sprouted only to burst.

"Hate them," the Puzzle heard the Shadows whisper. "Ours."

The Puzzle watched warily as they shook their head, and raised a fist to their forehead.

"Hate them. Hate you."

The Shadows winced as they climbed to their feet, and under a spell of dizziness, the Puzzle did the same.

"Not fair," the Shadows hissed and staggered back to the Puzzle. "We were first. First! Why aren't we—why don't you—"

The Puzzle frowned as it watched the Shadows approach. It seemed that whenever the Shadows got into a state of high emotion, the more incoherent and unpredictable they became. The Puzzle could feel it...their power, stretching and bending in an increasingly random pattern, and it was one of the few circumstances that the Puzzle would ever fear them.

As much as the Puzzle hated the Shadows, let it never be said they were victim to apathy.

It was an odd relationship that was founded between the two. As much as the Puzzle and Shadows despised each other, and dreamed of the other's death, both would kill any mortal or ignorant that debased the other's name.

They _hated _each other.

But power was to be respected.

The Puzzle had made sure that the other Items knew this well, and some, including the Rod, had been forced to learn this the hard way. Clenching its fists at the memory of having to hurt its greatest loves for the sake of the Shadows, the Puzzle glared at the Shadows and firmly held its ground until they arrived.

"Why..." the Shadows whispered, their posture gradually straightening as the effects of the Millennium Magic wore off.

"Leave," the Puzzle commanded, knowing very well that the order was not likely to be followed. Rather, the Shadows stopped and merely stared back into the Puzzle's eyes. Their power slowly lowered...falling back under control...into quiet pulses and patterns, and the Puzzle relaxed slightly. It could fight controlled magic.

"This...is....last time."

The Puzzle could not help but cock its head slightly at the small raising of the end of the sentence, turning it into a hinted question.

"Yes," it answered. "This is the last time you and I will walk amicably."

A long silence followed, and the Puzzle began to tense before the Shadows finally dropped their gaze to the side and let their posture crumble slightly under an unseen weight.

"Very well," they said. "But one thing, first. Hate it, but...only you..."

Furrowing its brow, the Puzzle stood confused until the Shadows reached out and pulled the Puzzle back to them, their mouth quickly covering the Puzzle's protest.

The Puzzle instinctivily struggled in the Shadows' grip, but after a moment, it realized that their touch did not burn, but rather felt comfortably cool. And though the kiss was nothing but a mockery of love, it....was not unpleasant. A feeling like standing under a waterfall filled the Puzzle's being, and it finally understood. The Shadows, as corrupted as they were, still contained within them a small part that was still...pure. Their very own shadow that constantly teased them and gave a pale reflection of what they once had been. And, desperate to be rid of it, they had decided to give it to the Puzzle. It was an extraordinary gift, but at the same time, the Puzzle was from then on doomed to carry a part of the Shadows within its being forever. It would never hurt, but it would itch and make the Puzzle, in quiet and lonely moments, desire what would never again exist.

As the cool and pleasant feeling was slowly replaced by a burning fire, the Shadows pulled away and backed up a few steps. The Puzzle unconciously clenched the cloth at the spot above its heart, and the Shadows stood solemnly with their palms against their forehead.

"You are right, Puzzle. This is the last time. We....thank you...." The Shadows looked confused at their choice of words, but they continued on. "...only you could end that...."

"Next time I see you," the Puzzle threatened softly. "It will be the last."

"Yes. It will. Now we part, and we shall begin on your cage."

"And I your prison."

"We...thought..." the Shadows said as they walked down the road and away from the Puzzle. "....you have already succeeded that."

The Puzzle watched as the Shadows disappeared into the mist, their form melting back into the dark shapes between the trees.

"And I," the Puzzle murmured as its attention was caught by a ruby red leaf as it fell to the ground. "Have thought that your cage would be awfully redundant."

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END


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